History began with written records. To understand the past, historians read documents left behind by earlier people. Of course, people existed before written records. According to scholars, these people are "prehistoric." "Prehistoric" or "prehistory" simply means before written records.

Although most of the American Civil War was fought outside of Ohio's borders, the Buckeye State played a huge role in determining the outcome. Hundreds of thousands of Ohioans fought for the Union, and many of the North's leading generals were from Ohio. Few would dispute that Ohio's contributions were vital in determining the Union victory.

Ohio underwent tremendous change in the late nineteenth century. While Ohio had boasted one of the most diverse economies in the United States of America before the Civil War, agriculture still dominated. During the late 1800s, industrialization erupted in the state.

During the late nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries, Ohio underwent tremendous change. One of the principal changes was the shift from a predominantly agricultural economy to a much more industrialized one.

The Great Depression and World War II were two tumultuous events in American history. While both events caused American confidence to wane, the United States emerged from both the Great Depression and World War II stronger and more confident than before.